3 Andrew HS students named National Merit Semifinalists

Andrew High School Seniors Jane Folliard​ (Tinley Park, IL)​, Jonathan Hoelzel​ (Orland Park, IL)​, and Nathan Xiao​ (Tinley Park, IL)​ have been named among the highest achieving students in the country when the National Merit Scholarship Corp. released its list of semifinalists.

This places Folliard, Hoelzel and Xiao among the top 1% of students in the country.

​They ​qualified for the designation by outscoring more than a million students across the nation in last year’s Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholar Qualifying Test. In being named semifinalists, they are in the running for 7,400 scholarships provided by the nonprofit organization, according to a news release.

​All three of these T-Bolts excel in the classroom and in the extra-curricular arenas​.

Folliard ​posts a 4.781 GPA, is ranked in the top 1% of ​Andrew seniors, and has been ​heavily ​involved in​ the music program including ​Orchestra, Marching, Pep and Jazz Band​s, Winter Guard and Choir, as well as Principal’s and Superintendent’s Advisories.

Hoelzel posts a ​4.843 GPA, is ranked in the top 1% of Andrew seniors, and has been involved in WYSE/JETS, Swim Guard, Scholastic Bowl, Mu Alpha Theta, Mathletes, Marching and Pep bands, and Swim Team.

Xiao​ posts a 4.730 GPA, is ranked in the top 1% of Andrew seniors, and has been involved in Speech Team, Scholastic Bowl, National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, Mathletes, Business Professionals of America, Tennis Team, Homeroom Leader, Chess Club, and Science Club.

More than 1.5 million students​ ​took the qualifying test last year, and roughly 16,000 students were named semifinalists.​ ​National Merit Scholar Corp. is expected to release its list of finalists in February, with scholarship winners announced in April through July 2016.